The Duffer Brothers almost left out the best part of Stranger Things 3
By Bryce Olin
The Duffer Brothers were unsure how the Scoops Troop would play in Stranger Things 3, and they almost left out their major storyline from the season.
Can you imagine a Stranger Things 3 without the Scoops Troop? That almost happened, according to a report from Buzzfeed.
In the new Netflix podcast Behind the Scenes: Stranger Things 3, the Duffer Brothers and producer Shawn Levy revealed that they didn’t know how the Scoops Troop would work together and almost didn’t put Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke) and Erica (Priah Ferguson) together in Stranger Things 3.
Here’s what Levy said on the podcast, via Buzzfeed:
"“Putting Steve Harrington with Erica Sinclair, on paper, that doesn’t make any sense, but neither did Dustin and Steve.”"
Heading into the season, I did not anticipate this group working together much at all. I don’t think many people did. But, man, did it work! Fans love the Scoops Troop!
At San Diego Comic-Con, I saw a ton of Stranger Things cosplayers. Most of them were dressed up as Robin, Steve, or Dustin. I even saw a few really good Ericas out in the crowds. The Scoops Troop was clearly the fan favorites of Stranger Things 3.
And, it all goes back to this thing that the Duffer Brothers do, according to Levy in the podcast. They like to take characters that shouldn’t be together and put them together in scenes and situations that they wouldn’t normally be in. Then, they see what magic they can come up with, and I think it’s clear the Scoops Troop was that magic in Stranger Things 3.
The Scoops Troop became a great storyline throughout the season, and I’ll even go as far to say that their dynamic was one of the best things about Stranger Things 3.
The Duffer Brothers took the magic captured in Stranger Things 2 with Steve and Dustin and brought it to one of the three main storylines of the new season. They added another fan favorite, Erica, and created a new fan favorite in Robin.
It was a stroke of genius to bring those characters together and, basically, let them play. They all have these big, unique personalities, and they step all over each other’s toes and banter and argue about every tiny detail. It makes for great comedy and great TV.
While there are these other dynamics in the show similar to this group, none rise to the level of enjoyment as when these four are together. Hopper and Joyce argue all the time, and it’s funny to a certain extent, but it’s not as funny as when the Scoops Troop gets together.
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Lucas, Max, Mike, Will and Eleven also get into these arguments and banter back and forth, and that’s fun, too. There’s a lot of trauma there, though, with what Eleven and Will have been through, and I think that can overshadow some of the comedy.
For example, it’s funny when Eleven doesn’t know certain things about relationships or life in general. Shortly after the joke, I remember that it’s because she’s been tortured by mad scientists her whole life, and the joke doesn’t feel as funny, if that makes sense. That doesn’t happen with any of the Scoops Troop. It’s a level playing field for all the insults and barbs.
One of my favorite scenes of the whole season is when they sneak into the room at the Starcourt, the door locks, and then they start falling as they struggle to get out it. It’s hilarious!
Look, this season was great. If the Duffer Brothers decided not to keep the Scoops Troop together, they would have probably figured out a way to make this story great, too. This seasons was so efficient. There were no wasted seconds in Stranger Things 3, and every scene, every single thing that happened matter in the greater story arc of season 3.
Would you have liked Stranger Things 3 as much if the Scoops Troop wasn’t a major storyline? Let us know in the comments below!